Leprosy in Florida from Armadillos? Not that surprised, they carry a whole host of nasty bacteria. However, you'd have to snuggle with them to get it, or perhaps your dog would. As far as leprosy goes, it is far more likely that it is being brought in by either the illegal aliens going to Florida after coming across our southern border, the Cubans that are flowing into the state or other persons from foreign countries that just 'happen' to wind up in Florida. These invaders are bringing back diseases to the US we have not seen in a very, very...

Three people have been diagnosed with leprosy in Florida and some of the cases are thought to be linked to armadillos. Health officials in Volusia County said that the cases are not related, though two of those who have been diagnosed with Hansen’s disease, or leprosy, since October had been in contact with nine-banded armadillos.

They're cute. They're often roadkill. Some gourmands say they're tasty, whether baked or barbecued. Now Louisiana researchers have learned something else about nine-banded armadillos. "A preponderance of evidence shows that people get leprosy from these animals," said Richard W. Truman, director of microbiology at the National Hansen's Disease Program in Baton Rouge and lead author of a paper detailing the discovery in the New England Journal of Medicine. Until now, scientists believed that leprosy was passed only from human to human. Every year, about 100 to 150 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with the malady, which is also known...